The Secret of the Sword (1985)

May 18, 1985

SCREEN: 'SECRET OF THE SWORD'

By Janet Maslin

Published: May 18, 1985

''The Secret of the Sword'' is a Saturday morning kiddie cartoon stretched out to feature length, which by some lights is an awfully long time. It stars He-Man and She-Ra, who are much loved by a large segment of the under-5 population and by parents who don't mind the martial attitudes they affect or the sexual stereotypes they embody.He-Man looks like Arnold Schwarzenegger and has tree-trunk thighs. She-Ra has a cute little nose and a cheesecake physique. He-Man's special sword gives him magical powers. Freudians, take note.

The film, which opened yesterday at the Embassy and other theaters, is animated in a very conventional fashion and punched up with occasional chants of ''He-Man!'' or ''She-Ra!'' when the action gets slow. Its plot is complicated but entirely predictable, with He-Man going to the planet Etheria to do battle with the Evil Horde, and meanwhile discovering that She-Ra is his twin. ''The Secret of the Sword,'' which had five different directors, leaves the door wide open for future installments. The Cast THE SECRET OF THE SWORD, directed by Ed Friedman, Lou Kachivas, Marsh Lamore, Bill Reed, Gwen Wetzler; written by Larry Ditillo and Bob Forward; produced by Arthur H. Nadel; released by Atlantic Releasing Corporation. Running time: 100 minutes. This film is rated G. Voices of: John Erwin, Melendy Britt, Alan Oppenheimer, Linda Gary, George Dicenzo, Erika Scheimer, Erik Gunden